Pumping device



March 22, 1938.

G. T. HUMPHREY PUMPING DEVICE Filed Feb. 17, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l 31la: not;

G. T. HUMPHREY' 2,111,591

PUMPING DEVICE Filed Feb. 17, less 2 Sheets5heet 2 Patented Mar. 22,1938 FATENT O-FFlyCE PUMPING DEVICE George T, Humphrey, Dallas, Tex,assignor to Republic Supply Company, Houston, Tex.

Application February 17, 1936,,Serial No. 64,239 g solaims. (01. 74-103):ThlS invention: relates to new and useful improvements in pumpingdevices.

One object of. the invention is to provide an imiproved pumping devicewhich is so constructed as itop-rovide a positive. vertical, or:straight line lift .of the pump rods. 1

-An important object of the invention is toprovide an improved devicefor pumping wells including a pivoted walking beam which is arranged toaswing to. raise and lower the pump rods, with meansfor moving the pivotof said beam in a horizontal plane simultaneously with the swingring ofthe beam, whereby the end of said beam travels inavertical line duringits swing.-

Another object of the invention is to providean improved pumping devicehaving a walking beam fulcrumed in a bearing; which is movable inahorizontal plane, andmeans for guiding and'controlling the movement ofthe bearing, whereby the end of the beam is moved in an absolutelyvertical or straight line.- V

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide an improved pumpingdevice wherein the walking beam is full-floating which permits the beamto be *moved laterally duringits swing, such lateral movement-of thebeam compensating the arcuate swing of the-beam-to-cause the end of thebeam is arranged sothat the beam may be moved completely out of the wayof the pumping rods of the well by merely disconnecting the rods andWithout disconnecting the actuating pitman atthe opposite end oithebeam.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved walking beammounting wherein the beam may be moved laterally a limited distance in ahorizontal plane, whereby the end of the beam may automatically adjustor align itself vertically with thepump rods.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be-more readily. understood from areadingofthe-followingspecification and braced by suitable angular members l3.structural members of the post may be welded,

by reference tothe accompanying drawings in which an exampleof theinvention is shown, and

wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a. pumping unit, constructed inaccordance with the. invention, .5 Figure 2 is an enlarged view of oneend of the walking beam and its mounting.

Figure 3 is a transverse, vertical sectional view, taken on the. line3-,-3 of Figure 1,

Figurei is a longitudinal,sectional-view, taken -10 through the pivotbearing of the beam,

Figure 5 is a transverse,.vertical, sectional. view, taken on the line5+5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a partial side elevationof a modified 'form of'theinvention, 15 Figure 7* is a view, similar to Figure 2 ofstill anotherform of the invention, and

-Figure -8 is a horizontal, cross-sectionahview,

taken on the line 8 -8 01 Figure-"7. I In the drawings, the numeral l0designatesa A base on which a Samson post, or other support I l ismounted. The post is shown as constructed of four angular inclined legs12' connected and The bolted, or otherwisesuitably secured together toform a rigid structure; It is noted, however/that the construction ofthe post is subject to'variation and the invention is not to be limitedto any particular type of post. '30

Near the upper end of the post, aipair of parallel angle bars or railsl4 aresecured to the inner sides of thelegs1l2. As is clearly shownin'Figures 2 and"3,. these angle. bars. are located in the samehorizontal plane andhave their horizontal flanges :14 directed inwardly.The length of thesev bars is'such that their ends extend beyond the poston either side thereof. A longitudinal walking beam I5 is locatedbetweenthe'upperend of the legs 12 of the post and this beam. is supported on"the 40 horizontal-angle bars I. It is noted that the space betweenthelegs of the post wherein the beam is located isslightly larger than thewidth of said beam (Figure 3).

The beamis shown .as the usual Iebeamandis .45 provided with ,a bearing.l6 at its mid-portion. This'bearing is fastened tothe underside of, thebeam and a transversepin l'l extends through the bearing, projectingat'each. end. Flanged wheels l8 are fastened to the extended outer endsof the 50 pin and these wheels engage the ,angle bars [4.-..'I'hus,itwillloe seen that the bars I 4 form a track and the flangedwheels riding thereon permit the :beam I51 to move horizontally thelength of said r-bars. 1.11; is notedathahayclearancea I91 ,(Ei ure x3)is provided between the outer face of each wheel and the vertical flangeof each angle bar [4, whereby the entire beam may be moved laterally alimited distance between the bars M. It is pointed out that when thewheels are resting on the track, the top of the beam extends upwardlybeyond the upper end of the; legs l2 of the post.

It will be obvious that the beam cannot only move in a horizontal pathdue to the wheels riding on the track, but also the ends of the beam maybe swung in a vertical plane on the pin l1, said pin serving as afulcrum. One end of the beam, which for the sake of clarity will bereferred to as to the outer end, is provided with a hanger 2|, on whichthe upper end of the pump rods 22 are pivoted. The lower ends of therods extend downwardly into the well, and as the beam is swung, saidrods are reciprocated vertically in the well. It is noted that when thebeam is in a horizontal position (full lines Figures 1 and 2), the pivotpoint of the rods in the hanger is in horizontal alignment with thefulcrum point of the beam, which is the pin IT.

For swinging the beam to reciprocate the rods 22, the opposite end 23 ofthe beam, hereinafter referred to as the inner end, has the upper end ofan actuating pitman 24 pivoted thereto. The lower end of the pitman ispivoted to the outer end of a crank arm 25 which is connected with androtated by a motor 26, or other suitable power source. As the crankrotates, the beam is swung in a vertical plane on the pin ll, wherebythe pump rods 22 are reciprocated in the well.

Heretofore, it has been the general practice to rigidly secure the pinor bearing, on'which the beam is fulcrumed, to the Samson post I I. Withthis fulcrum point of the beam fixed, it is obvious that when the beamis swung, the outer end 26 of the beam which carries the rods 22,travels in an arc. This arcuate travel of the end of the beam causesbending of the pump rods, resulting in breakage and other disadvantages.

As above explained, the fulcrum point of the beam is not fixed but ismovable due to the wheels [8, which are carried by the pivot pin IT,

riding on the track formed by the angle bars l4. Thus, as the beam isswung so that the outer end of the beam moves upwardly in an arcuatepath, it will be obvious that a simultaneous movement or shifting of thefulcrum point of said beam will compensate such arcuate movement whichwill cause the end of the beam to travel in an absolutely vertical path,which imparts a vertical or straight line lift to the pump rods 22.

For limiting and guiding the movement or shifting of the pivot pin I1,to shift the fulcrum point of the beam as the same is swung, a pair ofarcuate guide cams or shoes 21 are provided. These arcuate guide shoesare positioned, one on each side of the beam, and each shoe is providedwith upper and lower ears 28 on its inner side (Figure 2). The lower earof each shoe is arranged to be fastened by bolts 29, to the forward orouter end of one of the angle bars M of the track. A suitable bracebracket 30 may be welded to the extreme lower end of each guide shoe andthe bracket is adapted to be secured by bolts 3| to the underside of theangle bar M to further fasten the guide in position.' The upper ear 28of each shoe is arranged to be bolted by bolts 32 to the forwardextended end of horizontal angle bars 33 which are secured to, and bracethe upper end of the legs l2 of the post.

As is clearly shown in Figure 5, the arcuate guide shoes 21 extendvertically, one on each side of the beam IS. A bearing 34 is secured tothe underside of the beam and a transverse pin 35 is journaled therein.The outer ends of this pin carry guide rollers 36 which are arranged toride on the arcuate surface of the guide shoes 21. When the beam I5 isin a horizontal position, as shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 2, thecenter of the pin 35 is in horizontal alignment with the center of thepin H, which is the fulcrum point of the beam, and also with the centerof the pivot point of the upper end of the pump rods 22.

In operation, assuming the beam to be in a horizontal position as shownin Figure 2, the rollers 36 are located at substantialy mid-height ofthe arcuate guide shoes 21. The hanger 2| on the outer end of the beamis in vertical alignment over the well hole and the wheels l8 and pivotpin ll of the beam are at substantially the midportion of the track. Asthe pitman 24 moves downwardly due to the rotation of the crank 25, theinner end 23 of the beam is pulled downwardly causing the beam to swingon the pin I1. At the same time that the pitman is exerting a down wardpull on the inner end of the beam, it will also tend to move the beamand the pivot pin I! carried thereby inwardly or toward the pitman. Thiswill assure the rollers 26 positively remaining in engagement with thearcuate guide shoes 21.

As soon as the inner end of the pitman starts to move downwardly, theouter end thereof begins its upward swing. If the pivot pin ll werefixed, then this upward swing of this end of the beam would be arcuate.But this pivot is free to travel on the track, and therefore, as theupward swing of the outer end of the beam commences, the guide rollers36 carried by the beam l5, travel upwardly on the face of the arcuateguide shoes 21. Due to the curve of said shoes, it will be seen that assaid rollers move upwardly along the shoes, the beam l5, which carriesthe guide rollers, is moved outwardly. Movement of the beam will, ofcourse, cause a movement of the wheels l6 along the track to cause thepivot pin H to be shifted horizontally, whereby the fulcrum point of thebeam is shifted or moved in a horizontal plane. The curvature of thearcuate guide shoes 2'! is such that the fulcrum point of the beam isshifted a proper distance so as to maintain the travel of the outer endof the beam in a vertical path. It is noted that the arcuate shoesengaged by the rollers permit a gradual shifting of the fulcrum. pointof the beam, the shifting occurring simultaneously with the swing of thebeam. Since the supporting wheels I8 travel along the horizontal trackformed by the angle bars M, the fulcrum point of the beam, which is thepin I1, moves in an absolutely horizontal plane and irrespective of theposition of the ends of the beam, will never vary from its horizontalpath.

On the downswing of the outer end of the beam, the guide rollers 36 willtravel downwardly on the arcuate guide shoes 2'! and will shift thefulcrum point exactly as described above, whereby at all times, theouter end of the beam travels in an absolutely vertical line toreciprocate the pump rods in a straight line. Thus, it will be seen thatthe fulcrum point of the beam is shifted in a horizontal planesimultaneously with the swing of the beam, thereby causing the outer endof the beam to travel in a vertical path, instead of in an arcuate pathas is the case when the fulcrum point of the beam is fixed. It ispointed out that due to the slight clearance I9 between the face of thewheels l8 and the angle bars I, the beam may undergo a limited lateralmovement so that it will automatically align itself vertically with thepump rods 22.

The structure disclosed in the drawings not only provides a straightline lift for the pump rods 22 but also has other advantages. It isobvious that by unhooking the pump rods 22 from the hanger 2| anddisconnecting the pitman 24, the entire beam l5 may be lifted upwardlyfrom between the legs l2 of the post and thereby removal of the beam maybe readily accomplished. The device may be reassembled with the samecase. Further, if it is not desired to remove the beam entirely from thepost but merely to move the outer end 20 of the beam out of alignmentwith the pump rods 22, it is only necessary to disengage the pump rodsfrom the hanger and remove the rollers 36 and pin 35 (Figure 5) afterwhich the beam may be moved rearwardly on the track so that the outerend of said beam is moved out of vertical alignment with the rods 22. Itis noted that it is not necessary to disconnect the pitman. 'If for anyreason, the arcuate guide shoes 2'! are to be removed, the unfasteningof the bolts 29, 3| and 32 will permit such removal.

In Figure 6, a modified form of the invention is shown. In this form,instead of the single arcuate shoe 2'! on each side of the beam, adouble arcuate guide shoe 3'! is provided. These double shoes aremounted on the angle bars l4 and 33 exactly as is the single shoe. Theguide rollers 36 engage between the shoes and thus any possibility ofthe rollers disengaging the guide surface of the shoes, is eliminated.The operation of this form is exactly as the first form.

In Figures 7 and 8, still another form of the invention is shown. Inthis form, the arcuate guide shoes 2'! and rollers 36 are omitted. Inplace of these shoes and rollers, a guide yoke 40 is provided. This yokehas one end pivotally mount ed in a bearing 4! fastened to the undersideof the end 23 of the beam l5. The other end of the yoke is pivoted inbearings 42 secured on the inner ends of the angle bars M. The pivotpoints of the yoke and of the pin l! of the beam are in horizontalalignment when the beam is in a horizontal position, as shown by fulllines in Figure '7.

When the pitman 24 is actuated to swing the beam, it will be obviousthat the yoke 40 which has one end pivotally attached to the beam willyoke will cause a movement of the beam on the track, whereby the fulcrumpoint of the beam is shifted in a horizontal plane, thereby causing theouter end of the beam which carries the pump rods to travel in avertical line.

In all the forms shown, it is noted that the shifting of the fulcrumpoint of the beam occurs gradually; This gradual shifting also takesplace simultaneously with the swing of the beam, and due to theprovision of the track, the pivot pin l'l moves in an absolutehorizontal plane. Said pin remains in such plane regardless of theposition of the ends of the beam I5.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A pumping device including, a support, a walking beam, a pivotalmounting carried by the beam and mounted to move transversely of itsaxis in a fixed horizontal plane in the support, an arcuate guide shoecarried by the support, and a. guide roller fastened to the beam andengaging the shoe, whereby when the beam is swung on its pivot theroller riding against the arcuate shoe will move the beam longitudinallyto shift the pivotal mounting on said support.

2. A pumping device including, a support having a horizontal track, awalking beam, a pivotal mounting carried by the beam and including aroller supported on the track, an arcuate guide shoe carried by thesupport, and a guide roller fastened to the beam and engaging the shoe,whereby when the beam is swung on its pivot the roller riding againstthe arcuate shoe will move the beam longitudinally to shift the pivotalmounting on said track with its axis in a fixed horizontal plane.

3. A pumping device including, a support having a spaced pair ofhorizontal tracks, a walking beam having a transverse pivotal mountingon its underside at its midportion including an axle having rollers atits ends supported on said tracks, said beam having provision at one endfor the pivotal attachment of a pump rodand at its opposite end for theapplication of operating power to rock the beam to lift the pump rod,and means for moving the beam longitudinally to- Wards the pump rod whenit is rocked, said means including curved shoes mounted on said supportat the ends of said tracks, and rollers mounted on opposite sides of thebeam and engaging said shoes, whereby the beam-supporting rollers travelon said tracks and the pivotal axis of the beam is shifted in a straightline in a fixed horizontal plane and the pump rod moves in a fixedstraight vertical line.

GEORGE T. HU'MPI-IREY.

